Steam locomotive



May' s, 1927.

l J. E. MUHLFELD ETAL STEAM LocoMoTIvi:

5 Shees-Sheet 1 Filed Jun@ 6, 1919 INVENTORS Mngjfulllfdd 4nd vusl ,fl-RM BY g f K 1,627,402 J. E. MuHLFl-:LD ET AL STEAM LOCOMOTIVE I May 3,1927.A

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ATT NEY i Patented May 3, 1927.

uNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN E. MUI-ILFELD, F SCARSDALE, NEW` YORK, AND AUGUST G. SANDMA'N, OF

BALTIMORE,

MARYLAND.

STEAM LOCGMOTIVE.

Application filed .Tune 6, 1919.

This invention relates to steam locomotives, and more piu'ticularly to certain improvements in the equipment used for the production and distribution of superheat for the developn'ient of power' from steam or other gases in locomotives, ships, boilers,

furnaces or oth r steam vapor or heat provby the boiler contains too much entrainedj water and moisture; entrained or condensed Water collects Within the conducting conduits and the chambers wherein the saturated steam is to be superheated and results in obstructioi'is or damage tothe same; the superheater connections and the conduits leading from thesuperheater to the boiler and to the engines orother points of utilization of the super-heated steam are complicated in arrangement and occupy valuable space within the front end of the boiler, thereby retarding and restricting the free How of the heat producing gases; the superheated steam undergoes a serious reduction of pressure in comparison with the saturated steam pressure; and leakage, clogging and overheating of the superheater elements, connections and` fittings, particularly the superheater unit joints, is incurred resulting in structural deterioration and failure of the castings and other parts containing both saturated and superheated steam or gases, kdue to expansion, contraction, or other causes. i

Generically considered, it is therefore the primary object and purpose of the present invention to minimize or entirely eliminate the undersirable features above enumerated, and to produce a more practical, effective and economical apparatus in design, conserieu No. 302,088.

struction, application, operation and maintenance. lhese'objects or purposes we pro- 55 pose and aim to accomplish Without necessitatinginaterial alteration in the convenional locomotive or stationary boiler construction by: first, an 'arrangement 'of baffles at the boilerv steamvoutlet to reduce entrainm'ent of Water with the steam; "second, arranging` the saturated steam conduit eX- terio'rly instead of within the boiler and thereby increasing the boiler steam capacity and eliminating inaccessible pressure joints; third, removing the superheater header and connecting parts from the front endor other boiler parts and thereby overcoming restrictions and making all parts more accessible; fourth, providing means for trapping the ycondensed water in the saturated steam conduit or water entering the conduit, due to leaky throttles, boiler 'priming and other causes before it reaches the superheater header and its adjunctive ele- 7 ments and,reevaporating or otherwise disposing of the same; and fifth, removing the conduit connections between the super-heater header and the steam chests from within the front end or other boiler parts so as to permit of the unrestrictedvtiow of gases 'and p'rovfde greater accessibility. l

Having the aforementioned objects in view, the present invention comprehends certain novel andimpro'ved combinations of mechanical elements, and the structural y characteristics thereof, as will be more fully developed in thefollowing description land subsequently incorporated in the subjoined claims.

Figure l is a side elevation of a locomotive boilerequipped with one embodiment of our improved superheater;

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical transverse section through the front end of the boiler;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section through the steam trap;

Figure 4 is a horizontal section through thesuperheater header taken on the line 4-ll of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a detail section through the steam dome of the boiler and saturated steam pipe connection.

In the accompanying drawings, in Figure 1, we have, for the purpose of convenient illustration, disclosed our invention as adapted and applied to use in connection with a locomotive boiler designated generally by the numeral 10, and having the usual steam dome 11 and smoke bo); 12 into which the products ot combustion are drawn through the tire-tubes indicated at 13, and ejected by a steam blast through the smoke stack 14.

ln the preferred embodiment of our invention7 the pipe or conduit 15 for saturated steam is arranged exteriorly ot the boiler 10 above the same and is connected at one otl its ends to the steam dome 11 as shown in det-ail in Figure 5. This connection includes a sleeve 16 riveted to the end of the pipe 15 and provided with a flange 17 through which passes a plurality ot bolts 18 threaded in a plate 19 andinto the wall oit the steam dome. The end of'the sleeve and the opposed tace ot the plate 19 are formed with the beveled seating surfaces 20 and 21 respectively for engagement with a gasket 22 having correspondingly beveled tac-es 23. A steam tight joint is thus produced between the steam pipe and the opening in the dome wall, when the clamping nuts 24 threaded on the bolts 13 are tightened against the face ot' the flange 17.

A casing 25 is arranged within the steam dome and is `l'ormed with an outlet neck 20 which is securely bolted as at 27 to the wall ot the dome in coinciding axial relation to the steam conducting pipe 15. rlhe top ot the casing 25 is open and is formed with a shoulder 23 to receive a valve seat ring 29. 'l` he throttle valve includes a piston 30 workin a chamber 31, the walls ot which are integrally connected to the casing 25 by means of a series of webs 32. The valve member 33 is connected to a boss 34, centrally formed on the piston 30, by means of a bolt 35, and is provided with a plurality of guide lugs 36 having sliding contact with the inner face of the ring 29. The valve member is formed with an annular beveled surface 37 for engagement with the similarly beveled seating lace 38 of the ring 29. A rock shaft 39 is journaled in the walls of the steam dome 11 and the casing 25 and extends into the chamber 31. To this end of the rock shaft, one end of an arm 40 is lined, the other end of said arm being connected by a link 41 to the piston 30. To the outer end ot the rock shalt7 an arm 42 is lined and an operating rod 43 extending from the engineers cab7 is connected to said arm.

In order to prevent the water t'rom being carried up and entering the opening ot the throttle valve during priming, we have provided an arrangement ot ballles within the steam dome. ln the preferred embodiment of our invention, this baille arrangement includes the disk shaped plates 105 and 106 which are alternately disposed with relation to the annular ring shaped plates 107 and 103. The individual baille plates are supported within the steam dome by means ot spaced brackets 109 which are secured to the dome wall and whereby the several battle plates are held in spaced parallel relation to cach other. Each balile plate is made up ot a plurality or sections in order that the plates may be readily inserted and assembled within the boiler dome or removed therefrom.

The perimeter of each ot' the baille disks 105 and 10G is downwardly turned or curved as shown at 110 so that each disk in the form ot a shallow inverted dish. The annular baille plates 107 and 103 have their inner edges downwardly bent or curved as at 112 and disposed inwardly of the vertical plane otl the edges 110 ot the plates 105 and 100. lThe outer edges olI the annular plates 10T and 103 have tight abutting contact against the wall oi the steam dome while the outer edges of the plates 105 and 105 are spaced from said wall, Thus the steam is caused to ascend in a circuitous course around the edges of the baille plates as indicated by the arrows while said plates el'lectively prevent the water rising within the dome and entering the throttle. The sectional construction of the baille plates permits them to be readily removed so that they will not constitute an obstruction or in any way interfere with easy accessibility to the interior of the boiler. lt is oit course understood that the several battle plates are properly cut or shaped so that they may be accurately fitted around the throttle valve casing.

rlhe superheater header, generally indicated at 44 and to be presently described in detail, is also arranged exteriorly ot the boiler and is suitably mounted upon the front end over an opening 45 in the top wall thereof. At its rear side, the header is centrally formed with an upstanding inlet neck 4G to which the downturned end of a trap 47 is connected by means ot' the clamping bolts 43 engaged through openings lormed 1n the flanges 49 and 5() respectively. The inlet nec r. 1l-6 is tormed with a beveled seating tace 51 with which the beveled Ytace 53 of a gasket 52 is engaged.

The trap 4T is tormed with an elongated well 54 extending transvrsely and having its bottom wall inclined downwardly iii each direction troni the center' ot the trap. The condensed water which collects in this trap may be re-evaliorated or drained lroni the saine.y its purpose being to prevent any considerable quantity ot water passing over into the superheater header and elements at one time with resultant damage. A drain pipe 5G is connected to each end 0l the well and is extended downwardly around the boiler. The lower ends of the drain pipes may be equipped with valves 57 of any pretrap and projects downwardly therefrom above the center of the well 54. This batlie intercepts the globules of moisture or condensed water in the saturated steam and directs the same into the trap well so that the steam entering the header 111 will, to a large extent, be relieved of its water content. Such water as may enter the pipe owing to leaky throttles, boiler priming and like causes, will of course be trapped and disposed of in a similar manner.

The superheater header as best illustrated in Figure 4 of the drawings, consists o f a single metal casting, preferably of 4 high grade grey iron. This header casting is formed with a longitudinal passage 59 along its rear side with which the neck 116, centrally communicates. At spaced intervals, forwardly extending chambers or compartments 59 open into said passage. A second longitudinal passage 60 extends along the front side of the header and spaced rearwardly extending chambers or compartments 61 communicate with the latter passage and are alternately located relative to the chambers 59 which communicate with the .passage 59. Pipes 62 are arranged exteriorly of the boiler and connected to the opposite ends of the header in communication `with the passage 60 and to the respective steam chests on opposite sides of the boiler. These connections consist of steam tight joints indicated at 63 and 641 respectively which are similar to the joint connection between the trap and the inlet neck 46 heretofore described in detail.

A series of relatively large fire-tubes 65 extend between the tube sheets of the boiler. These tubes receive the superheater units herein generally designated by the numeral 66. In the preferred embodiment of our invention, each of the superheater units consists of two pipes 67 and 68 respectively, the pipe 67 being connected to a port 69, communicating with one of the saturated steam chambers 59 through the bottom wall of the header, while the pipe 68 is connected to a port 70 communicatingr with one of the superheated steam chambers 61.

The pipe 68 for conducting the superheated steam to the header is in a single straight length and extends into the tiretube 65 in line with the axis thereof. The pipe 67 for the saturated steam which also extends within the {ire-tube, is turned around the pipe 68. The rear ends of the steam pipes are connected to each other by means of the usual return joint member not shown.

`the manner above explained.

Having above described the several structural features of our invention, its operation will be understood as follows:

Vhen the throttle valve in the steam dome is opened, the flow of steam from the boiler tends to lift or entrain the water with it, but is prevented from so doing, by the arrangement of batlies within the steam dome. The saturated steam enters the pipe 15 and in `its travel therethrough to the header, the water which has become entrained or condensed therein is removed by the trap 412 in This steam, at a relatively low temperature enters the longitudinal passage 59 of the header and the several chambers 59 in communication therewith. From these chambers, the saturated steam enters the pipes 67, and in passing through the pipes 67 the steamT is raised to an exceedingly high temperature. With increased velocity, the superheated steam flows through the straight pipes 68 and immediately enters the chambers 61 of the superheater header. The high velocity and the exceedingly high temperature of the superheated steam, makes such loss of heat as may occur in its passage through the header a negligible quantity so that the superheated steam will How through the passage 60 and be delivered through the pipes 62 into the working cylinders of the engine at a maximum velocity pressure, temperature and volume which may be utilized to the fullest extent and converted into useful work.

lVe desire to particularly call attention to the fact that as the saturated steam pipe and the superheater header are entirely removed' from the interior of the boiler, much greater steam space capacity is afforded within the boiler'than in the use of present yday locomo tive superheaters. Such arrangement also permits of a very free flow of the products of combustion, while the joint connections, where leakage is so liable to occur, are not subjected to an intense heat.

A further and very obvious advantage which is due to the exterior arrangement of the saturated steam pipe or conduit, resides in the fact that the inaccessible opening in the boiler tube sheet through which the pipe must be extended, is eliminated, such opening necessitating the use of steam tight joints that are quite diiiicult to make and maintain and which frequently leak and cause boiler and steam troubles.

Also the removal of the superheated steam conveying conduits between the superheater header and the engines or prime mover from the interior of the front end or boiler eli1ninates the necessity for. making and maintaining joints between the superheated steam conveying conduits and the openings in the front end or other parts of boilers through which such conduits would pass. The exterior pipes or conduits 15 and 62 as well as the header 44 are of course covered with a suitable insulating material. It desired, the insulation which is commonly provided upon locomotive boilers may be merely c2;- tended around the exterior conduits.

In the preceding description and the accompanying drawings we have disclosed a practical embodiment of the invention, which, however, may likewise be exemplilied in other alternative constructions. Accordingly the invention as herein claimed is to be considered as inclusive ot all legitimate equivalents tor the various elements employed as well as other contemplated arrangements thereof, which maj satistactorily accomplish the desired results.

le claim:

l. ln a railway locomotive, a tire tube boiler having a smoke box at its forward end and working cylinders on opposite sides thereof, a superheater header mounted exteriorly ot the smoke box, a supply pipe connection between the boiler and the superheater header arranged externally oi the boiler shell, superheater elements connected With the header extending through the smoke box and into the tire tubes ot' the boiler, and superheated steam supply connections between the header and said working cylinders.

2. In a railway locomotive, a lire tube boiler having a smoke box at its forward end and working cylinders on o1 aceite sides thereof, a superheater hea'ler mounted extee riorly otv the smoke box, a supply pipe connection between the boiler and he superheater header arranged externally oi 'the boiler shell, superheater elements connected with the header extending through the smoke box and into the fire tubes of the boiler, and pipe connections between said header and the working cylinders arranged exterior-ly of the smoke box shell at either side thereof.

3. In a railway locomotive, a lire tube boiler having a smoke box at its Yimfwardend and provided with a. steam dome having a throttle valve therein and working cylinders at opposite sides et the smoke box, a. superheater header mounted above the smoke. box r externally thereof, superheateii' elements e1;- tending Ytrom said header through the smoke box into the boiler lire tubes, superheated. steam supply connections between the header and the working cylinders arranged. externally oli the smoke box, and a dry pipe ex tending longitudinally over the boiler shell and having externally accessible joint con` nections with the throttle valve and super'- heater header at its opposite ends.

4f. ln a railway loc-.'m'iotive, a tire tube boiler having a steam dome with a throttle valve therein and ay smoke box at its forward end and workingcylinders at opposite sides; ot said smoke box, a superheater header mounted upon the upper side olA the smoke box shell externally thereof, snperheater elements connected with the header and extending through the smoke box into the boiler lire tubes, superheated steam supply connections between said header and the working cvlinders, and a sectional dry pipe extending longitudinally above the boiler shell and having externally accessible joint connections at its opposite ends with the throttle valve and super-heater header respectively.

l'n testimony that they claim the foregoing as their invention, they have signed their naines hereunder.

JOHN E. MUHLFELD. AUGUST G. SANDMAN. 

